Top 500 Robert Greene Quotes (2024 Update)
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351. “Instead of wasting time negotiating with every difficult person, work on spreading a spirit of camaraderie and efficiency that becomes self-policing. Streamline the organization, cutting out waste – in staff, in the irrelevant reports on your desk, in pointless meetings.”

— Robert Greene

352. “Understand: we can never really experience what other people are experiencing. We always remain on the outside looking in, and this is the cause of so many misunderstandings and conflicts.”

— Robert Greene

353. “Leaders have always found it useful to have an enemy at their gates in times of trouble, distracting the public from their difficulties. In using your enemies to rally your troops, polarize them as far as possible: they will fight the more fiercely when they feel a little hatred. So exaggerate the differences between you and the enemy – draw the lines clearly.”

— Robert Greene

354. “Cultures have norms that reflect centuries of shared beliefs and ideals. Do not expect to scoff at such things with impunity. You will be punished somehow, even if just through isolation – a position of real powerlessness.”

— Robert Greene

355. “We live in a world that seems increasingly beyond our control. Our livelihoods are at the whim of globalized forces. The problems that we face – economic, environmental, and so on – cannot be solved by our individual actions.”

— Robert Greene

356. “When you see several steps ahead, and plan your moves all the way to the end, you will no longer be tempted by emotion or by the desire to improvise. Your clarity will rid you of the anxiety and vagueness that are the primary reasons why so many fail to conclude their actions successfully. You see the ending and you tolerate no deviation.”

— Robert Greene

357. “Worship Athena, not Ares.”

— Robert Greene

358. “Seduction is a game of psychology, not beauty, and it is within the grasp of any person to become a master at the game. All that is required is that you look at the world.”

— Robert Greene

359. “As Xenophon said, your obstacles are not rivers or mountains or other people; your obstacle is yourself. If you feel lost and confused, if you lose your sense of direction, if you cannot tell the difference between friend and foe, you have only.”

— Robert Greene

360. “Do not be afraid to exaggerate the role of willpower. It is an exaggeration with a purpose. It leads to a positive self-fulfilling dynamic, and that is all you care about. See this shaping of your attitude as your most important creation in life, and never leave it to chance.”

— Robert Greene

361. “Athena came to represent a very particular form of nous – eminently practical, feminine, and earthy. She is the voice that comes to heroes in times of need, instilling in them a calm spirit, orienting their minds toward the perfect idea for victory and success, then giving them the energy to achieve this. To be visited by Athena was the highest blessing of them all, and it was her spirit that guided great generals and the best artists, inventors, and tradesmen. Under.”

— Robert Greene

362. “Your new identity will protect you from the world precisely because it is not “you”; it is a costume you put on and take off. You need not take it personally. And your new identity sets you apart, gives you theatrical presence. Those in the back rows can see you and hear you. Those in the front rows marvel at your audacity.”

— Robert Greene

363. “The more we lose ourselves in predigested theories and past experiences, the more inappropriate and delusional our response.”

— Robert Greene

364. “Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good.”

— Robert Greene

365. “If you have the kind of intelligence and instinct that will point you in the right direction, playing the rebel will not be dangerous. But if you are mediocre... you are better off learning from your predecessor’s knowledge and experience, which are based on something real.”

— Robert Greene

366. “In fact, the better you are at dealing with power, the better friend, lover, husband, wife, and person you become.”

— Robert Greene

367. “People who are outwardly distant or shy are often better targets than extroverts. They are dying to be drawn out, and still waters run deep.”

— Robert Greene

368. “Remember: Stirrers thrive by hiding in the group, disguising their actions among the reactions of others. Render their actions visible and they lose their power to upset.”

— Robert Greene

369. “What good is it to have the greatest dream in the world if others reap the benefits and the glory? Never lose your head over a vague, open-ended dream – plan to the end. OBSERVANCE.”

— Robert Greene

370. “Our continual connection to social media makes us prone to new forms of viral emotional effects. These are not media designed for calm reflection.”

— Robert Greene

371. “We often notice a similar sensation of confusion and helplessness when it comes to ourselves and our own behavior. For instance, we suddenly say something that offends our boss or colleague or friend – we are not quite sure where it came from, but we are frustrated to find that some anger and tension from within has leaked out in a way that we regret.”

— Robert Greene

372. “Powerful people never waste time. Outwardly they may play along with the game – pretending that power is shared among many – but inwardly they keep their eyes on the inevitable few in the group who hold the cards. These are the ones they work on. When troubles arise, they look for the underlying cause, the single strong character who started the stirring and whose isolation or banishment will settle the waters again.”

— Robert Greene

373. “Anger is the most destructive of emotional responses, for.”

— Robert Greene

374. “Oysters open completely when the moon is full; and when the crab sees one it throws a piece of stone or seaweed into it and the oyster cannot close again so that it serves the crab for meat. Such is the fate of him who opens his mouth too much and thereby puts himself at the mercy of the listener. Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519.”

— Robert Greene

375. “Do not take so seriously people’s promises or their ardor in wanting to help you. If they come through, so much the better, but be prepared for the more frequent change of heart. Rely upon yourself to get things done and you will not be disappointed.”

— Robert Greene

376. “To this day, we humans remain highly susceptible to the moods and emotions of those around us, compelling all kinds of behavior on our part – unconsciously imitating others, wanting what they have, getting swept up in viral feelings of anger or outrage. We.”

— Robert Greene

377. “At your birth a seed is planted. That seed is your uniqueness. It wants to grow, transform itself, and flower to its full potential. It has a natural, assertive energy to it. Your Life’s Task is to bring that seed to flower, to express your uniqueness through your work. You have a destiny to fulfill. The stronger you feel and maintain it – as a force, a voice or in whatever form – the greater your chance of fulfilling this Life’s Task and achieving mastery.”

— Robert Greene

378. “Our successes and failures in life can be traced to how well or how badly we deal with the inevitable conflicts that confront us in society.”

— Robert Greene

379. “While a friend expects more and more favors, and seethes with jealousy, these former enemies expected nothing and got everything. A man suddenly spared the guillotine is a grateful man indeed, and will go to the ends of the earth for the man who has pardoned him.”

— Robert Greene

380. “The survival of our earliest ancestors depended on their ability to communicate with one another well before the invention of language. They evolved new and complex emotions – joy, shame, gratitude, jealousy, resentment, et cetera. The signs of these emotions could be read immediately on their faces, communicating their moods quickly and effectively.”

— Robert Greene

381. “You must be particularly careful to never make people feel stupid in your presence.”

— Robert Greene

382. “And the most common emotion of them all is the desire for pleasure and the avoidance of pain. Our thoughts almost inevitably revolve around this desire; we simply recoil from entertaining ideas that are unpleasant or painful to us. We imagine we are looking for the truth, or being realistic, when in fact we are holding on to ideas that bring a release from tension and soothe our egos, make us feel superior.”

— Robert Greene

383. “This means that you yourself are largely the agent of anything bad that happens to you. With more prudence, wiser policies, and greater vision, you could have avoided the danger. So when something goes wrong, look deep into yourself – not in an emotional way, to blame yourself or indulge your feelings of guilt, but to make sure that you start your next campaign with a firmer step and greater vision.”

— Robert Greene

384. “You do not belong to you. You belong to the Universe. Your significance will remain forever obscure to you, but you may assume that you are fulfilling your job if you apply yourself to converting your experiences to the advantage of others.”

— Robert Greene

385. “Whenever you can, bury the hatchet with an enemy, and make a point of putting him in your service.”

— Robert Greene

386. “If you need everything in your life to be simple and safe, this open-ended nature of the task will fill you with anxiety. If you are worried about what others might think and about how your position in the group might be jeopardized, then you will never really create anything. You will unconsciously tether your mind to certain conventions, and your ideas will grow stale and flat.”

— Robert Greene

387. “If you are trying to mislead your enemies, it is often better to concoct something ambiguous and hard to read, as opposed to an outright deception – that deception can be uncovered and enemies can turn their discovery to their advantage, especially if you think they are still fooled and act under that belief.”

— Robert Greene

388. “Even with skills that are primarily mental, such as computer programming or speaking a foreign language, it remains the case that we learn best through practice and repetition – the natural learning process.”

— Robert Greene

389. “What withdraws, what becomes scarce, suddenly seems to deserve our respect and honor. What stays too long, inundating us with its presence, makes us disdain it.”

— Robert Greene

390. “The vast majority of people conform to whatever is normal for the time.”

— Robert Greene

391. “Over the centuries, people have placed a wall around such mastery. They have called it genius and have thought of it as inaccessible. They have seen it as the product of privilege, inborn talent, or just the right alignment of the stars. They have made it seem as if it were as elusive as magic. But that wall is imaginary.”

— Robert Greene

392. “You see, you keep learning. People are always looking for a single magic turning point. There isn’t one. It’s much more of a gradual getting better and better and better and better.”

— Robert Greene

393. “No one likes feeling stupider than the next person. The trick, then, is to make your victims feel smart – and not just smart, but smarter than you are. Once convinced of this, they will never suspect that you may have ulterior motives.”

— Robert Greene

394. “Do not think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible; and if it is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach. – MARCUS AURELIUS.”

— Robert Greene

395. “At your birth a seed is planted. That seed is your uniqueness. It wants to grow, transform itself, and flower to its full potential. It has a natural, assertive energy to it. Your Life’s Task is to bring that seed to flower, to express your uniqueness through your work. You have a destiny to fulfill.”

— Robert Greene

396. “To a remarkable extent, our hunting ancestors reversed this process. The longer they spent observing something, the deeper their understanding and connection to reality. With experience, their hunting skills would progress. With continued practice, their ability to make effective tools would improve.”

— Robert Greene

397. “By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to attack. Instead of taking a form for your enemy to grasp, keep yourself adaptable and on the move. Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law is fixed. The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless as water; never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes.”

— Robert Greene

398. “If everything in a dream were realistic, it would have no power over us; if everything were unreal, we would feel less involved in its pleasures and fears. Its fusion of the two is what makes it haunting.”

— Robert Greene

399. “But I don’t consider history to be a field. It’s just all the stuff that’s happened so far. You have to call it a field so people who study what happened in the past can get a job teaching blank. But it doesn’t seem to me that it’s a subject.”

— Robert Greene

400. “Most of us live in a semi-somnambulistic state: we do our daily tasks and the days fly by. The two exceptions to this are childhood and those moments when we are in love. In both cases, our emotions are more engaged, more open and active. And we equate feeling emotional with feeling more alive.”

— Robert Greene